Chapter 654: Psychological Therapy

The suddenly appearing figure stared blankly ahead with vacant eyes, extended its right hand forward, and whispered an ancient Hermiic chant:

"No arson allowed here."

"No provocation allowed here."

"No weather alteration allowed here."

Each "no" he uttered was reinforced by some power, displaying effects beyond the saintly level.

The blazing white flame that surged became unstable, the surrounding flames weakened considerably, and the fire‑formed spear showed signs of collapse.

A massive feathered serpent blocked the darkness brought by moonlight, its shadow rippling like water, extending countless black, illusory yet solid shackles imbued with power from the Fallen Realm, which coiled from various directions around the blazing white spear, imprisoning it firmly in place, impossible to break free for a moment.

Seeing its attacker blocked, the pale flame burning in the serpent's eyes flared again, its silhouette appearing in the undead eyes reflected from the Underworld, gazing from all directions at the airships it had encircled, meeting the people inside the airships with a distant stare.

Silently, the airship fell apart, scattering countless rusted metal fragments, along with piles of rotting flesh and bones.

Within a few breaths, the Steam Church's dispatched airship fleet was completely annihilated.

Boom! Boom! Silver‑white bolts of lightning struck the black illusory shackles, briefly creating a fissure.

The blazing white fire surged out, fleeing toward the distance.

Plak watched the retreating flame, then gently nodded to the massive feathered serpent and said:

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Tanas."

The feathered serpent, its eyes alight with pale flame, glanced back at Plak, gave a slight nod, then shifted its massive body and vanished into the sky along with the projected Underworld.

In front of the floor‑to‑ceiling window, Luo Sai Er stared at the scene in astonishment, then turned to Ge Lan, who had returned to his seat, and chuckled:

"No wonder you seem completely untroubled; who could have imagined a feathered serpent still dwelled here."

"That's a real feathered serpent, not the mythic form of the extraordinary ones?"

Ge Lan nodded lightly, calmly introducing: "A guardian of the Underworld left by the former Death God, who maintains some ties with the Aiges family; it can, to a degree, draw upon Underworld power, its stature and strength approaching a Sequence One angel."

Luo Sai Er pondered, nodded, and remarked:

"Indeed, a family of angels that once produced a true god must have abundant resources."

Ge Lan agreed with a nod, then brushed aside the topic and said: "We should return to Pas River Valley; our mission is to forge as many weapons as possible. With the 'Holy Word Angel' here and a feathered serpent already revealed, there won't be a second attack before we're prepared."

"I never expected I'd no longer be a 'craftsman' yet still have to do a craftsman's work."

Luo Sai Er shook his head, sighed, his tone full of helplessness: "We originally agreed that after you saved me I'd work off the debt, but now I haven't even revived yet and I'm already working. It's..." He muttered two lines in his mind, then suddenly felt he had been duped. "I could have stayed peacefully in the tomb until resurrection, but he dragged me out to work!"

As he kept thinking, Luo Sai Er felt his mood suddenly turn less pleasant, let out a self‑mocking chuckle twice, and suddenly said:

"After that fellow absorbed my leftover 'Knowledge Emperor' trait, his body gained many traits, including the 'Generalist' traits from Sequence Nine to Sequence Two. Why not cultivate a 'Knowledge Mentor'?"

Ge Lan forced a smile, shook his head, and said: "The saints of the Moses Ascetic Society aren't keen on changing paths; as for other high‑sequence 'Seers' or 'Generalists', they either belong to the Steam Church or the Night Church."

"What we lack now isn't traits, but suitable talent."

"With so many gods and demons, he chose the one with the most enemies as an ally—quite the challenging spirit!"

As the words fell, brilliant starlight in the room gathered, gradually forming a mysterious patterned illusory gate that engulfed Luo Sai Er and Ge Lan, then shattered into pale blue star fragments that slowly faded.

On the south bank of Pas River Valley, in Yin Si Ni Si's Red Rose Church, Lei Ke Dun and Tu Ba Ge's silhouettes stood out in the clergy lounge behind the prayer hall.

Sasilier, as if expecting it, gave Lei Ke Dun a slight nod, then pointed toward the chair opposite the desk.

After Lei Ke Dun sat down, Sasilier spoke gently:

"You need some psychological counseling; it will help you stabilize yourself and quickly integrate that trait."

"Are you still moonlighting as a psychologist?" Lei Ke Dun said with a smile. Sasilier briefly explained: "To handle matters conveniently, my core split off a 'Seer' trait for me to 'herd'."

As he spoke, a pair of eyes materialized behind Sasilier—dark‑gold vertical pupils, their irises dimly glowing, as if containing an unreal, boundless maze.

Under their gaze, Lei Ke Dun felt his constantly restless emotions calm, his thoughts clear, no longer yearning to expose himself to moonlight.

He exhaled deeply, dispelled the illusion masking his appearance; beneath his semi‑transparent skin, countless stars flickered, twisting into a single bizarre eye, within which a faint crimson shimmer appeared.

"Relax, don't resist."

Sasilier's voice was so gentle that one couldn't help but trust and rely on him.

Lei Ke Dun didn't reject the influence of this mental realm; he slowly closed his eyes and meditated to calm himself.

Under the gaze of those eyes behind Sasilier, Lei Ke Dun's shadow beneath him gradually became three‑dimensional, gaining substance.

Relying on the authority of the Fallen and the mental realm, Sasilier stripped Lei Ke Dun's negative, fallen thoughts, merging them with the shadow to form an uncontrolled fallen creature.

As soon as the shadow‑borne fallen creature took shape, a 'Spiritual Flesh Blade' from the Fallen Realm materialized and pierced it, killing it outright.

In that instant, Lei Ke Dun felt unprecedented calm, the 'Primordial Moon' contamination within him subsiding.

Seizing the chance, he immediately focused his mind, beginning to analyze and gradually dissolve the 'Primordial Moon' contamination inside him.

In this state, his connection to the 'Primordial Moon' strengthened; in a trance, he saw a deep‑red full moon, vibrant and exquisitely beautiful.

As Lei Ke Dun's thoughts drifted, an eye containing countless brilliant stars—cold, indifferent, without lashes—emerged around the red moon, its detached gaze gradually dismantling the moon's façade, revealing behind the red moon a continuously writhing, indescribable mass of flesh.

The ruler of all negative cosmic forces, the embodiment of beauty, arguably the universe's most beautiful existence—though everyone's definition of beauty differs, this form is rather twisted, isn't it?

Life, spirit, beauty, darkness, strangeness, desolation, plants, souls—truly the authority of a complete system, encompassing so many realms.

Gathering his thoughts, Lei Ke Dun began to parse the information embedded in that indescribable writhing flesh, gradually breaking it down and dissolving it.

Time slipped by unnoticed; the stained‑glass window on the wall began to let in faint morning light.

On the chair before the desk, Lei Ke Dun's skin was no longer semi‑transparent; the ever‑twisting starlight was hidden beneath flesh, visible only when his eyes were gazed upon, still shimmering.

He exhaled deeply, slowly opened his eyes, and gently nodded to the still‑seated Sasilier:

"Thank you for your help; it has greatly accelerated my integration of the 'Knowledge Emperor' trait."

Sasilier nodded lightly, responding calmly: "Indith's army has arrived; this war may last a long time, and defending against multiple assaults will strain our high‑level forces."

"There's no way around it; cultivating a saint, even an angel, takes far too long."

Lei Ke Dun forced a bitter smile, shaking his head; he already possessed multiple abundant angelic traits, yet could not find a suitable mentor to cultivate.

Sasilier clasped his hands on the chair back, gave a slight nod, and fell into brief contemplation.

After a moment, he lifted his gaze to Lei Ke Dun, speaking calmly: "We must swiftly bring the Ancient Forest under control, or destroy all the Fusak Empire's waterways and ports over there."

Bring the entire northern region of the Southern Continent under control, control all external ports, maximally sever the connection between the North and South Continents, and limit the number of troops that the countries of the Northern Continent can land.

Lei Ke Dun nodded slightly, his thoughts agreed with Sasilier's; the two then continued chatting until the sky outside the stained-glass window grew bright, at which point Lei Ke Dun rose to take his leave.

Returning to the manor on the north bank of the Pas River Valley, Lei Ke Dun wrote a letter to Beiernadai, hoping to extract a trait of the 'Death Executor' from that pale death, after which he would use his own ability to restore that pale death.

After writing the letter, he simply set up a ritual, summoning Beiernadai's messenger; in the astonished gaze of this 'Swift One', he handed over the folded note.

(End of Chapter)